Along with the constitutional amendments, the DPR and LPR have sent a draft special law on local elections in Donbas and amendments to article 10 on the law on special order of self-government

Denis Pushilin

MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. Representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, known as the Donbas region, have again sent their amendments to Ukraine’s Constitution and called on Kiev to consider them, the DPR’s envoy to the Contact Group said on Thursday.

"Today the Donetsk and Luhansk republics have again submitted their proposals to the Ukrainian side, and in particular, Verkhovna Rada speaker [Volodymyr] Groysman," Denis Pushilin was quoted by the Donetsk news agency as saying.

Along with the constitutional amendments, which have been drafted in line with the Minsk agreements, the DPR and LPR have sent a draft special law on local elections in Donbas and amendments to article 10 on the law on special order of self-government.

The Donetsk republic’s envoy has expressed hope that this time Kiev will have an opportunity to read the documents as their adoption is an important part of the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

"At the same time, we were very surprised that instead of holding a direct dialogue with the Donbas republics, Ukraine discusses first of all the changes to the key law of the country with foreign experts," he said.

Pushilin also reminded that on Wednesday, the Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, published a preliminary opinion on the proposed constitutional amendments regarding the territorial structure and local administration sent by Kiev.

"In fact, the commission’s conclusions say directly that Ukraine’s draft amendments lack approaches and articles that would allow Kiev to implement the Minsk agreements and the decisions of the Normandy Quartet," he stressed.

Minsk agreements

The peace deal struck by leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France envisaged a ceasefire between Ukrainian government forces and people’s militias starting from February 15.

This was to be followed by heavy weaponry withdrawal, prisoner exchange, local elections in Donbas, constitutional reform in Ukraine and establishing working sub-groups on security, political, economy and humanitarian components of the Minsk accords.

The Ukrainian forces and militias of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics have repeatedly accused each other of violating ceasefire and other points of the Minsk agreements.